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How Garden Centres Can Choose the Best Business Electricity Supplier

03 May 2017

How Garden Centres Can Choose the Best Business Electricity Supplier

All businesses can benefit from reducing the energy they use, but there are some businesses that can save more than others. Garden centres definitely fall into this category. After all, the cost of energy is a major expense in most garden centre operations. This is one of the reasons it’s so important to choose the best business electricity supplier.

Another reason is electricity is essential to your operations - this is why it’s such a significant cost. Therefore, you need an electricity supplier who will give you the best possible prices and who will provide an excellent level of service.

How Garden Centres Use Electricity

The biggest drain on electricity in a garden centre is lights. This includes the general lights all retailers need to provide a welcoming and comfortable environment for customers to shop. It also, however, includes the specialist lights needed for certain displays that are more unique to a garden centre.

In addition to lights, electricity is used in a garden centre for other general business purposes. This includes operating IT equipment and other equipment in the business.

Choosing the Best Business Electricity Supplier

The main thing you have to do is research the market so you know the deals that are currently available. Of course, you will need to know when your current contract is up for renewal. This is important because you don’t want to do your research too early as deals and offers change. Also, you don’t want to do your research too late as the price with your current supplier is likely to go up once the term of the initial contract expires.

Another thing you should spend time investigating is how your business uses electricity. Look at the lights you use throughout the garden centre as well as specialist equipment for product displays. Look also at your point of sale and back office equipment, as well as any other equipment crucial to your operations – CCTV equipment, staff kitchen facilities, customer café facilities, and more.

The next step is to allocate time to conduct comparisons of the offers currently available on the market. You should use as broad an approach as possible when doing this. In other words, use one of the online price comparison tools that are available but also contact suppliers directly – both large and small suppliers.

Finally, don’t just look at the price being offered as a contract with an electricity supplier includes a range of elements. For example, you might find by reading reviews that an electricity supplier offering you a cheap price doesn’t have a good customer service record. Or you might be offered discounts depending on the nature of the contract – for example, if you pay by direct debit.

Other Measures You Can Take to Save Money

In addition to finding the best business electricity supplier, there are other measures you can take to save money on electricity. This includes installing low-energy lightbulbs as well as lighting controls that include motion sensors, timers, and/or dimmer switches. This will ensure the efficient use of electricity as well as making sure you don’t use it when it’s not needed.